Reading science fiction over the years, I've seen the same space combat tropes over and over. Some more realistic than others.I'd like to try an experiment. Using ideas as the selective pressure, I'd like us to create a space arms race from scratch to see just what happens when you don't start with a character driven plot.

Here is the (highly realistic ) scenario.The Emperor of Planet Plaid has died. His three jerk sons have split the planet up into three equal kingdoms. Blue, Orange, and Pink.Each kingdom has the same GDP, and tech level. Each Kingdom has successfully launched a spy satellite into LEO.There is a three way detente banning the use of MWDs on planet plaid, and it's moon.Each brother has a clone of Fermilab and NASA, and Sandia National Laboratory.

The brothers each have the same simple goals. 1. Control outer space.2. Spy on each other from space.3. Be able to kill the other two (from space), if he feels like it, and without having his kingdom nuked.4. Spend as little money as possible to do this.5. Bonus: Carve his name on the moon, visible from Planet Plaid.

Your idea challenge, is to suggest the minimum resources, techniques, strategy, and technology to counter the other weapons, and dominate space. Players do not have to choose a side, but they are asked to play only one side per post.

A few rules.1. No magnum opus grand stratagem. You may have a great idea of using distributed carbon fiber microsats and kinetic kill swarms, laser powered Jedi warp plasma, and pink pony rainbow orks, but you are asked to put this out piecemeal. One pony at a time please.2. No Nukes (at first): Any nation that uses nukes to affect anything at or near GEO will get nuked by the other two nations.3. There are no ground forces. The Emperor didn't have a standing army. There are police forces, and intelligence agencies, border patrol etc, but no nation will be attacking another nation on the ground of planet Plaid. However, there are ground targets, and the brothers want to be able to hit ground targets to piss each other off.4. Plaid is in a solar system exactly like ours, and has a moon exactly like ours.5. Space platforms can attack the ground, and ground platforms can attack space. Space can attack space, but ground cannot attack ground.6. Large Asteroids hitting on planet plaid will be treated as a violation of the nuke detente by the other two nations.7. Colonies on other planets are fair game for WMD, but the moon is protected by the detente.8. If local space becomes a draw, momentary piece is declared, and each side gets to launch an Orion drive from the surface of Plaid to reach the beyond Plaid orbit.

Example of play.Orange launched a spy satellite.Blue has blown it up a jetplane launched missile. Pink launches it's satellite to a higher altitude.Orange launches a multistage missile to take out pink.Blue launches a satellite with radar absorbant material.Orange finds it with a lidar satellite.

We start play with each nation in possession of a spy satellite system equivalent to what the U.S. has currently.

Or with someone, anyone figuring out they can train their police force as special forces commandos and assassinate the other two before they get the same idea. Without a proper army to stop them this will be trivial.

It has become clear to me in the previous days that any attempts at reconciliation and explanation with the community here has failed. I have tried my best. I really have. I pored my heart out trying. But it was all for nothing.

You win. There, I have said it.

Now there is only one thing left to do. Let us see if I can sum up the strength needed to end things once and for all.